Combined powder mixer and granulator.



J. F. O'BRIEN.

COMBINED POWDER MIXER AND GRANULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11. 1912.

j wm wy Patented Aug.26,1913.

(EQMEINED POWDER MIXER AND GRANULATOR.

amnesia.

$pecification of Letters Patent.

, Patented Aug. 2,1913.

Application filed January 11, 1912. Serial No. 670,646.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, diners F. OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Powder Mixers and Granulators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel mechanism wherein difierent materials may be mixed and granulated in a continuous operation; and the prime objects of the invention are the provision of such a machine as will carry on these operations successfully, and a machine in which all possible'sources of friction are entirely eliminated.

In the preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, l have developed a machine particularly adapted for mixing and granulating an explosive contail'iing cer:

tain solids and certain liquid ingredients; and, although the design illustrated is particularly adapted to the class of powder which will be hereinafter described, it will be seen from the following that l am not necessarily limited to this specific form of device.

Considered broadly, my invention consists first in certain mechanical arrangements whereby the operations of mixing and granulating may be carried on continuously, that is, the granulation takes place in the same receptacle and immediately following the mixing; and it consists also in certain arrangements where by all possibility of friction is entirely eliminated from the machine. The preferred mechanism embodying these features consists of a rotatable barrel mounted on hollow trunnions with its axis horizontal, a portion of the peripheral wall of the barrel being perforated or formed of wire screen or the like; and an oscillating member mounted on a shaft passing through the hollow trunnions and the barrel, the shaft being mounted in bearings which holds it entirely out of contact with the trunnions or any part of the barrel. The mixing members mounted on this shaft are so formed as to become also cutting members to granulate the moist mixture to such a size to pass through the screen portion of the barrel periphery.

I will further explain the details of construction and operation in the following specification, referring to the preferred form of device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the barrel in ts position reversed from the position shown n Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are details showmg the construction of the mixing and the cutting members.

In the drawings 5 designates a suitable supporting frame which may be of any character, depending upon the housing or structure in which the machine is located. Mounted on the frame 5 is a pair of bearlngs '6 which revolubly carry hollow trunnions 7 mounted on the ends 8 of the rotatable barrel 9. Barrel 9 has a portion 10 of its peripheral wall formed of some solid material, say wooden lagging, the remainmg portion of the peripheral wall being occupied preferably by a screen or wire mesh 11 and a charge opening 12. Arrangements are made, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 so that the portion of the barrel carrying the screen 11 may be detached from the remaining portion of the barrel to render easy access to its interior. A guard 13 is provided on one side of the charge opening 12 to prevent the escape ofmaterlal through the charge opening when the machine is in ope ration.

Mounted in suitable bearings 20 is a shaft 21 which passes through the hollow trunnions 7 and through the barrel without engaging either the trunnions or the barrel. There is a suitable space left between the bearings 20 and the bearing 6 so that any explosive which should happen to work out through trunnions 7 would not come into forcible engagement with the bearings 20 or be caught between the two sets of bearings. Mounted on the shaft 21 is a suit-able frame 22 projecting radially from the shaft and carrying on its outer end the mixers and cutters 23. These devices are preferably formed of wire, preferably copper, in the configuration shown in Figs. 3, 4- and 5, Fig. 4 being an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 3 while Fig.5 is a front elevation of the portion shown in Fig. t. From these figures it will be seen that there'are certain radially projecting wires 25 and certain wires 26 placed diagonally so as to present an angular position relative to the inner periphery of the barrel. These portions 26 'bers within the barrel.

- are so arranged that they will cut on their up stroke, the frame members 22 being oscillated through an angle of about 120 degrees. For the oscillation of the mixln and cutting members 'it is onl necessary t at asuitable means he providiad for oscillatlng the shaft 21. This is typically formed by a.

through charge opening 12. The shaft 31 is" being continuously rotated so as to continuously oscillate the mixing and cutting mem- The solid ingredients are thereby quickly mixed and the liquid ingredients are then introduced through the charge opening 12 in such manner as to be uniformly spread over the solid ingredients in the barrel. The continued operation of the mixing devices immediately and thoroughly distributes and mixes the liquid ingredients among the solid ingredients, and, when this mixing is completed, the moist mass begins immediately to be cut up by the action of the members 23. At this stage of theoperation a small amount of lubricant, such as graphite, is introduced to coat the separate particles of explosives and to diminish any friction which might otherwise occur and to give-the particles lustrous coatin which is advantageous in the handling of the powder for commercial purposes. As soon as the granulation of the mixture has commenced, the barrel 9 is turned over to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the granulated particles are immediately thrown on pressed out through. the meshes of the screen 11. Each particle is just suificiently moist to have been easily cut and separated from the mass, while it is sufliciently solid to retain its own shape. A

drying process, preferably with only the suns heat, completes the powder for commercial use.

It will be seen that there is no chance whatever of creating metallic friction Within the machine and consequently no opportunity for accidentally discharging the explosive. The members 23 do not quite touch the inner periphery of the barrel, the shaft 21 does not touch any portion of the barrel or trunnions, and the parts in general are so spaced apart that it is impossible for any portion of the explosive to be caught between any moving parts. In addition to this, I construct all of the working parts where ossible of a material which-will not strike re, vwood being a preferred material throughout the device. The members 23 and the screen 11 are preferably made of copper wire. In order'to hold the barrel in its two positions I may'provide a retaining 'pin 35 which enters apertures 36 in one end of the barrel when the barrel is in either of its proper positions. The operation of the apparatus 1s thus reduced to utmost simplicity, it only being incumbent on the operator to admit certain proper quantities of the different materials in proper sequence and to turn the barrel when the granulation is effected. The machine thus becomes a complete powder plant with the mere exception of the bins for storage of materials and suitable trays or other means for drying the completed explosive.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a barrel having a portion of its peripheral wall perforated and an opposite portion imperforated, hollow trunnions at the ends of the barrel, bearings for the trunaxis horizontal, a horizontal shaft passing through the trunnions and barrel, bearings for the shaft holding it clear of the trannions, a radially extending member on the shaft within the barrel and comprising a frame secured to the shaft and spaced wire members extending therefrom to points close to the inner periphery of the barrel, and means to oscillate the shaft.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3d day of January 1912.

JAMES F. OBRIEN.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. BARKELEW, ELWoon H. BARKELEW. 

